


family ties

by The_Eclectic_Bookworm



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-24
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2019-05-13 06:15:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14743505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Eclectic_Bookworm/pseuds/The_Eclectic_Bookworm
Summary: Giles introduces Jenny to a few family members, and Jenny has a few lingering insecurities about family as a whole.





	family ties

**Author's Note:**

> full disclosure i know only tiny bits & pieces about the comics so like....take this fic w a grain of salt & excuse any glaring character errors. i wrote this in like 2 seconds, prompted, and then it. uh. got long. whoops

Jenny was curling her already-curled hair nervously around one finger, the ringlets soft and bouncy in a way that looked unnaturally glamorous on her. She looked a bit like a movie starlet, with her long black wrap and even longer deep blue evening gown and impeccably done makeup. She didn’t look at all like herself, and Rupert didn’t like it all that much.

“You know they aren’t expecting—” he began, then decided to try a different tactic. “You could have just worn that red dress you wore to prom.”

“This is _England,_ ” said Jenny. “They’re a bunch of _you._ ”

“I resent that statement,” said Rupert, affectionate and patient; he’d been with his love long enough to know that she was at her most sarcastic when nervous. He stepped forward, winding his arms around her stomach from behind, and felt her relax into his chest. “You look beautiful,” he said. “Truly, you do.”

And he meant it. He did, even if it was colored by worry. Jenny looked incredible, but what bothered Rupert was that she didn’t look comfortable with the way she looked. She had been breathless and smiling at prom, wearing a knee-length red number adorned with dark lace that left room for her to dance, and her hair had been done up in a haphazard bun. This polished, perfect look clearly wasn’t something she felt at home in—though she certainly did seem at home in Rupert’s arms. “You think so?” she said in a small voice.

“I’m an expert on the subject,” said Rupert, kissing the top of her head in a way that wouldn’t muss her hair. “You’re absolutely stunning.”

“Okay,” said Jenny, staring distantly at herself in the mirror and swallowing, hard. “But—I don’t know, I mean—we’ve known each other for what, one year?”

“Nearly two,” said Rupert patiently.

“And I don’t want them to start asking about marriage—”

“Marriage,” said Rupert, “is a wonderful gesture, but one that the both of us don’t really need to _affirm_ anything.” He brushed a few locks of hair away from Jenny’s neck, pressing his lips there. She sighed. “If there are any questions you feel uncomfortable with, I’ll handle them.”

“What if they don’t like me?”

It was clear Jenny hadn’t meant to ask that question, because after she did, her face went sort of pink and she bit her lip, looking almost ashamed of herself. Rupert felt a strange, painful mixture of worry and a protective sort of love, and turned her gently around so that she was facing him. He placed a finger under her chin, tilting it up. “What my family thinks of you is _positively_ irrelevant to me,” he said, and wished they were far enough into a long-term relationship that he could say everything he wanted to say without the shy hesitation in his chest.

Jenny seemed to get the words unsaid, though, because she gave him a whisper of a smile and rubbed her nose lightly against his. “I love you,” she said softly. “Like, kind of a lot.”

“I love you _kind of a lot_ as well,” said Rupert, and kissed her, a soft brush of a kiss that only lasted a few seconds. Jenny was smiling fully when they pull back; a sweet, comforted smile that made Rupert feel quite warm. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah,” said Jenny, looking a little apprehensive at the notion, and reached up to run a hand nervously through her hair. Rupert caught her hand and kissed the knuckles, and her expression relaxed into another smile. “Yeah,” she said again.

* * *

 

The museum was full to bursting with various high-profile Watchers, most of whom did an almost comical double-take upon seeing the black sheep of the Council not only have the audacity to show up at an event, but show up with a _date_. Rupert kept his fingers interlaced with Jenny’s as he scanned the room for his father; Jenny shifted nervously on the balls of her feet and nearly tripped over her long dress.

It was his father who spotted them first, giving Rupert a small, polite smile as he crossed the room to them. Jenny was clutching Rupert’s hand with an intensity that _hurt,_ and he had to make a real effort not to wince. “Father,” he said, and inclined his head. There always seemed to be some strange distance between him and his father, even now; he wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

“Rupert,” said Mr. Giles, then eyed Jenny, very clearly sizing her up.

Jenny smiled, uncomfortable, and her eyes flickered to Rupert with a strange sort of worry—not for herself, but for _him._

Abruptly, painfully, Rupert knew why she was so afraid—her own family, the one she gave so much of her life to, had cast her out and told her she’d failed them. She didn’t talk about it much, but there were certain days of the year that she was quiet and subdued, sitting in the living room with scraps of letters and photographs and a glass of wine half-forgotten on the coffee table.

She didn’t want that for him. She didn’t want her failings to cost him his family.

“Father,” said Rupert, and tucked his arm around Jenny’s waist, steadying her with a quiet strength. “This is my girlfriend Jenny Calendar.”

“Rupert,” said Mr. Giles again, somewhat dismissively, “I don’t entirely know why you’re here. This gala is invitation-only.”

Jenny flinched like she’d been hit, and Rupert felt a twist of worry in his chest for her sake. He was used to his father’s somewhat abrasive manner, knew there was an awkward sort of softness buried very deep underneath, but Jenny was fiercely protective of him and it showed in that moment. “He’s a damn good Watcher is why he’s here,” she said, and gave Mr. Giles a positively stunning smile, eyes glinting dangerously.

Mr. Giles took another look at Jenny, then looked back at Rupert with a somewhat disapproving frown, then turned to Jenny. “How old are you, Jenny?” he asked, sounding doubtful that he’d be pleased with the answer. “You look at least ten years younger than my son.”

Jenny turned pink, stepping away from Rupert immediately and giving Mr. Giles a nervous smile as though not quite sure what to do. Rupert kept on thinking about the way Jenny had reacted upon seeing her uncle’s corpse on the bed (arms crossed against her stomach, lips pressed together in a half-grimace, shaking where she stood) and suddenly realized that it had been an _egregious_ mistake to bring her to meet his father before anyone else. “Excuse me,” he said, and took Jenny’s hand in his, tugging her away from his bemused father and towards the dessert table.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Jenny said in a strangled tone of voice, “I’m just—I don’t want—”

“I don’t give a damn about my family, Jenny,” said Rupert.

“You say that _now_ because you _have_ one,” said Jenny, looking up at him and forcing a smile. “Okay? I miss my mom and my cousins and all those dumb little nieces and nephews who thought I was the shit because I knew stuff about computers and I could fix a car. I even miss being told by everyone that I was a bad influence because then at least I was, I was _part_ of something, you know? And I say I don’t miss it, but I _do,_ and I know you would too if you didn’t have it to fall back on. You don’t realize how much you miss these things until they’re gone—”

“ _Rupert!"_  came a delighted voice from behind him, and Rupert turned, startled. Lavinia Fairweather was standing with a glass of champagne, looking positively delighted.

“A moment, please,” said Rupert, worried.

“Oh, no, it’s, it’s okay,” said Jenny, whose eyes looked suspiciously watery. She scrubbed at her face with her wrap, smiling nervously. “We’ll just, um, who are you exactly?”

Lavinia frowned, then softened in that horrible-maiden-aunt way that always made Rupert a little nervous. “Oh, poor _thing,_ ” she said, stepping up to Jenny and straightening her wrap. “Rupert, you _didn’t_ take her straight to your father, did you? That’s no way to treat a lady friend.”

“Um,” said Rupert, who was getting the sense that he was losing a worrying amount of control over the situation. But Jenny was softening at a friendlier Giles relative, and the shy, hopeful look in her eyes was much too much for him to risk pulling her away from what might make her feel a bit better.

“I’m Lavinia,” Lavinia was saying to Jenny. “Rupert’s aunt.”

“You’re kidding,” said Jenny disbelievingly. “You look younger than _me,_ and—” She paused, flushing, and Rupert caught her sneak a glance at Mr. Giles. “I’m probably way too young to be dating someone like Rupert, right?” she said, sounding only half-joking. Oh, Rupert was going to have _words_ with his father about this one.

“Absolutely not,” said Lavinia. “Rupert’s always been behind the curve when it comes to maturity. Hold on, I have photos—” She dug in her purse, fishing about.

“Oh for the love of god I can’t believe she carries them _with her,_ ” Rupert muttered, and tried to decide whether to run and hide, drag Jenny away, or both.

Unfortunately, his resolve completely shattered when he saw the way Jenny was smiling. “That’s kinda what I thought,” she said, and stood on tiptoe to kiss Rupert on the cheek. “He’s always been a little behind the curve in all respects, and I love him for it.”

“Good _lord,_ ” said Rupert, and kissed Jenny properly, if briefly. She tilted her head up, eyes half-shut.

“Oh my goodness they’re _sickeningly_ adorable,” came Sophie’s voice, and Rupert winced a bit, pulling back. “This must be the new lady friend, then?”

“ _Lover,_ ” said Rupert, trying in vain to make himself sound like an adult.

“Do _not_ call me your lover in front of your aunts,” said Jenny, and whacked him lightly with her wrap.

“Pictures!” sang out Lavinia, brandishing a handful that looked like—oh god they were from his fighter pilot phase. Kill him. Kill him now. Jenny shrieked, nearly knocking Rupert over as she all but raced to get a better look at the photos. “Wasn’t he a _darling?”_ said Lavinia innocently, giving Rupert a wicked smile over Jenny’s head.

“Please,” said Rupert. “Be merciful.”

“You inflict your father on this poor, sweet girl and tell _us_ to be merciful,” scoffed Sophie, peering at Jenny in a way that wasn’t at all like Mr. Giles. “Goodness, but she has a lovely face! You two would make be-autiful children—”

Jenny laughed, biting her lip, and looked at Lavinia and Sophie with sparkling, almost hungry eyes. “My aunts back home,” she said, “they always used to _harangue_ me about having children. I _hated_ it. Still do, as a matter of fact.”

“Sensible,” said Lavinia. “I like this one.”

“Can I keep the photos?” said Jenny hopefully.

“Oh, of course!” said Sophie brightly. “We have _many copies._ ”

“Holy fucking shit,” said Jenny, staring at one in her hand. “Rupert, are you wearing one of those dorky pilots’ helmets? How _old_ are you in this picture?”

“Twenty-two,” said Lavinia cheerfully. “He was taking a trip down memory lane and I wisely decided to capture it.”

Rupert buried his face in his hands—mostly for show, and possibly to hide his smile.

* * *

They ended up finding their way back to Mr. Giles at the end of the gala. Jenny, though buoyed by time with Giles’s aunts, still looked nervous, but Giles had worked everything out.

“Father, to be quite frank,” he began, “I introduced you to Jenny because I wanted to make it clear that she is and will continue to be an important fixture in my life. We didn’t intend for the situation to become openly hostile—”

“I’m thirty-six,” said Jenny, cutting Rupert off. “And I have commitment issues, and one time I shot your son with a crossbow by accident. Also, I think the Watchers’ Council should start evolving with the times and stop being a bunch of creepy old librarians sitting around and making decisions about young girls.”

Mr. Giles looked vaguely bemused. Then he said, “Good lord, you two are a matched set.”

Jenny bumped Rupert’s shoulder. “That wasn’t a compliment,” said Rupert to her. Then, frowning, “ _Was_ that a compliment?”

“Make of it what you will, Rupert, I wash my hands of you,” said Mr. Giles exhaustedly. “Fired from the Council, showing up at galas with a woman nearly a decade younger than you—”

“I know, right?” said Jenny brightly. “He’s definitely doing better than you are, anyway, with that horrible suit you’re wearing.” Belatedly, she realized what she’d just said, and clapped her hands over her mouth, looking wide-eyed up at Rupert.

“We should go,” said Rupert immediately, and tucked his arm into Jenny’s to steer her out of the hall. He didn’t dare look at his father.

“Oh my god I just insulted your dad,” Jenny started saying as soon as they made it onto the front steps. “Oh my god that was _not_ how I intended that to go oh my _god_ I am _so sorry_ I didn’t mean to insult your dad I just so cannot control the sarcasm—”

“His suit really was horrible,” said Rupert, and smiled a bit at Jenny. “And I don’t particularly appreciate when people are condescending to a woman who’s been nothing but kind to me.”

“Love really does make a man blind, sweetie, I spent the _entirety_ of last year telling you off for dressing like a ninety-year-old,” said Jenny, and tugged on his lapel, pulling him into a kiss.


End file.
